Two weeks ago a New Jersey man caused American Airlines flight 2102 from Seattle to Dallas – Fort Worth to divert.
Shortly after takeoff, the man refused to stay seated, and began shouting nad screaming. He vaped, and locked himself in the lavatory. He finally came out – and tried to open the aircraft’s emergency exit doors, at both the front and rear of the Airbus A321. He also propositioned a flight attendant for sex.
Crew and passengers subdued the man and restrained him with flexcuffs. The captain diverted the plane to Salt Lake City, where (shirtless, at this point) he was removed by officers. As he proceeded down the aisle and off the aircraft, he sang “You say potato, I say potato.”
Upon his arrest, he was taken to an airport holding cell where he screamed, banged his handcuffs against the cell window, cracked glass, and verbally abused medical staff at a local hospital where he was ultimately taken for observation.
The man has now been indicted on charges of interference with a flight crew and attempted damage to an aircraft, with penalties up to 20 years and a $35,000 fine. He also faces state charges in Utah, including two third-degree felonies and a Class-C misdemeanor.
While it is generally impossible to open an aircraft’s emergency exit door at cruising altitude due to the pressure difference between the cabin and the outside. In May 2023, though, an Asiana passenger managed to open an exit door as the plane approached landing, at low enough altitude where pressure didn’t fully secure the door.
AA these days is just a slight step up from Spirit in the types of people that fly it.
@Gary your sloppy writing shows again with, “began shouting nad screaming”. This time even spell check or autocorrect could’ve saved you.
@AA We all know that you are against adult passengers sexually interacting with your flight attendance, because you only support flight attendants sexually interacting with child passengers!
I guess bath salts really aren’t the best thing to help soothe you while traveling.
@Daniel *attendants (since we’re being pedantic today)
I have had the nad screaming as well and it is a challenge
Gary, I’m wondering if you’ve attracted ‘bots’ … the recent digs at your work are inexcusable. I think I write for 99.999% of us who appreciate and thank you for your fine work. And, please continue it. Best wishes.
People keep blaming the airlines… United Sucks… American Sucks… Delta Sucks… SW sucks…
Nope!
It’s the people… Drinks? Drugs? doesn’t matter… This would have never happened over and over in the 60/70/80/90’s… the entitled CRAZY people have come out of the wood work.
Woke? Maybe… Left Wing? Maybe? Right Wing?
IDK..
but this is not because of changes in the airlines, this is a change in the behavior of people in the US. This is not because of polices or flight attendants with AA. That looser could have just as easily booked a ticket with United or Delta.
@Jeff
There really should be a locked door between First and Plebe.
@MikeL – I concur but I believe it’s world wide… I’ve read plenty of stories of wackos acting up all over the world.
Was that guy actually shirtless? That’s a new one.
I don’t think people changed much. It’s the rapid and widespread dissemination of large quantity of info today vs decades ago when you relied on 30 min newscasts and newspapers.
Perhaps it’s time to send these passengers to the Judge Rotenberg Center (an infamous special-needs “school” in Massachusetts that uses electric shocks as punishment.)